Lost
by All The Good PenNames Are Gone
Summary: Chi Chi is pulled away from her family and learns exactly what she is made of. Hell is not for the faint of heart.
1. Chapter 1

She felt the water run over her hands as she scrubbed the fifth bowl in her stack. The water was almost too hot, but not quite. The terry cloth rag made circles over a bowl that, to be honest, was already clean when she had started. _It was dusty._ She reasoned to herself. It was the fifth bowl she grabbed after cleaning all of the plates, two pots, and few drinking glasses. This task had been preceded by laundry, floor scrubbing and table polishing. Chores were good, they were predictable, they didn't go flying off wearing body armor to intercept evil galactic overlords.

Chi Chi looked down at the bowl in her hands, realizing she hadn't been moving for some time and the skin on her hands was red. Turning off the tap and placing the bowl in the drying rack she took a deep breath. It had been two hours since Gohan had flown off. There was nothing left to clean, nothing left to keep her busy. To keep her mind from wandering. _How many 25 year-old women had worry about their sons dying in battle? _She thought.

"No!" Saying it out loud felt good. Her son was not dead. When he got home, because he was coming home, that was another story. She was going to burry him under enough books to keep him from flying off and causing her worry until he was 30. She reached around and felt for the apron ties at her back. In her earlier frustration she had tied them uncomfortably tight and they were digging into her waist through the layers of clothing. She tugged on the end and they came lose allowing her to remove the apron. She draped it over the back of a chair and stuck her hand under her shirt feeling the indent the strings had left just under her ribs. In her earlier frenzy she hadn't felt them but now it was clear she had rubbed her skin raw. Another deep breath, this one unrestricted. Chi Chi closed her eyes and rested her hand on the back of the kitchen chair. Her son would come home. He would be fine.

"He's the worlds' strongest kid. He will be fine." Again it felt good to say it out loud. As did the breeze on her face. Chi Chi's eyes snapped open. The door and windows were closed, where was the breeze coming from? She looked around and confirmed that everything was still shut tight. But there was a wind inside her home, and it was getting stronger.

"What in the world?" Her eyes darted around as the breeze built to a miniature tornado. The room darkened and a low moan started to emanate from the center of the vortex. Chi Chi shielded her head as objects began to fly around the room. The dishes, which had been previously drying, were tossed up and shattered against the walls. One of the shards flew at her and sliced open her forearm making a shallow cut perpendicular to the line of her bone. The warm blood began seeping out, soaking into her shirt sleeve. Along with the pain of the cut she felt something akin to static electricity all along her skin. It was crackling in the air and like the wind, getting stronger. The swirling mass of wind and energy was pulling everything, including ChiChi towards it. First the smaller objects like the dishes, and the fabric of her clothing. Her apron lifted off the back of the chair and whipped into the air. Next the chairs started to move, Chi Chi could hear them scraping across the floor.

She picked her eyes up and squinted towards the center of the room, where this mysterious pull was coming from. There in the center of the vortex was a black sphere at the moment no larger than a baseball, but growing. The more it grew, the stronger the winds got.

She was not about to get sucked in there, and if she stayed that was exactly what was going to happen. Chi Chi bolted for the door, the moment she moved however the wind at least doubled in strength and she lost traction on the wood floor. She landed hard cracking her chin and splitting it. Her teeth clamped together and the pain shot up from her mouth through her jaw.

"No! No way!" She screamed as she pushed herself up and scrambled for the door again. This time she made it, but just as she reached the door nob the wind picked up yet again along with the energy crackling throughout the room. Her feet were picked up from underneath her and if it weren't for her grip on the nob she would have been pulled back to the black ball sucking away at her home. Chi Chi screamed and reached her other hand for the door. Her fingers were slipping on the cool round metal. She tried to grip harder, to find those tiny grooves where the ball connected to the rod on which it rotated. Hoping to find some purchase, anything to keep her from being pulled back to what ever had appeared. Then she felt her hair come lose. The tie holding it back was pulled out and at that sensation she looked back. That was a mistake. The sight she was met with made her temporarily lose focus on her grip. That was all it took to send her feet first into swirling, crackling, three foot wide black ball of energy in the middle of her home.

The second Chi Chi hit the ball she too began to spin. It felt like she was being pushed at all angles by competing winds. Her body spun and twisted and her limbs flung around her with such force she thought they might be ripped from their sockets. All the while she screamed. Screamed for help, screamed for her son for her husband and then just screamed. As she tumbled through the wind and black her thoughts seemed to swirl as well. _What is happening? Where am I going? Will Gohan be ok? Will what ever this is pull him in too? _

Then everything stopped when she slammed into something solid. She landed facedown with such force that she bounced and rolled three times before coming to a stop.

"You are not Son Goku." A low menacing voice called out. Chi Chi's head throbbed as she tried to stand. She could taste blood in her mouth and the wind had been knocked out of her. On top of that her throat was raw from screaming. Through all of it her mind latched onto her husbands' name.

"You told me the portal would open in the home of Son Goku." The voice said, this time it sounded like who ever was speaking was facing in another direction. Chi Chi turned her head towards the voice. As her eyes began to focus again she could dimly make out a huge, imposing but vaguely human shape about twenty feet from her.

"It did your majesty. It seems our timing was a bit off." This voice was high and grating. Like the squawking of a shrill bird. Chi Chi pushed herself up to her hands and knees. She could feel a cold stone floor under her fingers. It was rough on her skin, rough enough even to feel digging into her knees through her pants. She opened her mouth and spat out blood. At some point she had bitten her tongue and split her lip. Now that the world wasn't spinning she began to orient herself. The room she was in was cold and dark. Judging by the echo of the voices it was also large, and most likely stone. When she looked down she could make out strange symbols and patterns painted on the floor.

"Explain. How did poor timing bring us this woman?" The low voice spoke again. "Woman, who are you? What is your name?" This time it spoke to her again. More than spoke. There was power intertwined in those words and Chi Chi felt her own words ripped from her throat before she could stop herself.

"Son Chi Chi." Her voice was hoarse and raw.

"Son Chi Chi. What is your relation to Son Goku?" Again some power in these words pulled hers out.

"I am his wife."

"Wife you say." The power was gone, these were just words this time. Spoken slowly, as if pondering what the voice would do with this information.

"Majesty, as to your earlier question. The seers were not wrong. The place was correct however something interfered with the timeline. Son Goku should have been in that place at that time having returned to earth and intercepted the warlord Freeza. However something has altered events from their previous path. The seers see a new path now." This was the high voice again. It was now attempting to placate the powerful one.

"I see. Place the woman in a cell. We shall see what worth to us she may yet have." At this Chi Chi heard two sets of heavy footstep approaching her. Then she was lifted up from underneath her arms. Her feet scrambled to get underneath her, but her legs would not support her weight. They trembled and bent in unnatural ways before giving out entirely. She tried to lift her head and open her eyes as the two half dragging, half carrying her passed the spot where the voices had come from. However it was no use, whatever energy she had she had used when she had tried to stand. Her head rose maybe an inch before flopping down like a rag doll.

Again she thoughts began to swirl. _Where am I? What's going on? What do they want with Goku?_ With that last question she felt surge of panic followed by the embrace of sleep as she passed out.


	2. Chapter 2

When Chi Chi opened her eyes again all she could see was darkness. _Oh my god I've gone blind! _ Her panicked mind raced. She felt her face, fingers running over her eyes, checking for outside damage. There were not cuts, no bruises, her skin was still raw from the wind but there was no blood. She closed her lids and pressed gently, she could still **feel **her eyeballs. But why couldn't she **see**? Her breath was coming in panicked gasps as she tried to figure this out. _I can't see, but my eyes seem uninjured. If I'm not injured then there is another reason._ She told herself. Then she started to feel around her. The floor was cold stone. Maybe even a little wet, but it was hard to tell.

"Hello?" She called out and her voice seemed to echo a bit. The answer came to her and felt like smacking herself for acting like a child and panicking.

"I'm in a cell, of course!" She hissed. _Of course I can't see if there's no light. This room probably underground or something. _She mentally scolded herself. Slowly she began picking herself up off the floor. Her muscles ached and she had scuffs on her hands and knees from hitting the floor earlier. Her head was also pounding. She managed to get one foot under her and using her knee as leverage pushed herself into a half standing position. Her hair fell unfamiliarly around her face. She couldn't even remember the last time she let it come lose like this.

"I must have hit my head harder than I thought if I am worrying about hair." She laughed to herself. Gingerly Chi Chi began shuffling forward with her hands outstretched. It didn't take long for her to find what she was looking for, the wall. It was made from the same stone as the floor, and was equally cold. She leaned against it and began walking forward, putting one foot directly in front of the other, heel to toe, counting each step.

"One, two, three, four, five, six…" she came to the first corner. Then turned and began her count again. This time she made it to twelve before she stubbed her toe into another wall. She turned again. This time at three felt the surface change. It was a metal door. She ran her hand over it. No nob or lever, not that she really expected that, but it seemed to be covered in bolts. She felt for the edges of them, maybe one could be worked lose? If nothing else it could be a weapon. No such luck they seemed to have been welded to the door after being driven home. Next Chi Chi pulled her had back and slammed it into the door. It just made a smacking noise and stung like hell. No clang or echo. The damned thing was solid, thick and not in the slightest bit lose.

"Great." She hissed through clenched teeth. _One more thing that hurts._ After passing the door she finished her circumnavigation. She was in a rectangular room, two walls, including the one with the door, were about eight of her feet long and the others just over twelve. Other than the aggravatingly solid door there were no openings. Which left the disturbing question of air. How much did she have left? It didn't feel like any had been coming from around the doorframe.

Chi Chi sank down the wall opposite the door and collected her thoughts. Her head was still throbbing, her hand stung and everything else had settled into a dull ache. She leaned back against the cold stone and it eased some of the pain in her muscles. _Ok time to think. I was waiting for Gohan in the kitchen and then that vortex, portal, thing appeared. _She took a breath and felt along her arm. The cut from the shattered plate was still there. So she hadn't dreamed any of that. _Next I was in that room. With those two people._

"Goku!" She sat bold upright. _That voice, he knew Goku, he knew where we lived. The portal was meant for Goku. Does this mean Goku was coming home when that thing opened? The way they talked it sounded like they got be on accident. _She was fully alert now mind racing once again. In some way she was now glad Gohan had taken off. At least he hadn't been sucked into this as well. If Goku was home, then Gohan would be safe. Her husband was a lot of things, a glutton, a dope, a constant source of stress in her life, but he was also a good, powerful man and would do everything he could to keep their son safe. _But is Goku safe? That voice, the one with power, it, he, was looking for Goku. If he could make me talk using just his words, what else can he do? _Chi Chi began to tremble. There were very few times in her life that she had been truly and completely terrified. The first had been when Piccolo had blasted a hole in Goku's chest, the second had been when her father's castle had burst into flames with him still in it and the last had been watching her son fight the Saiyans when they came to earth. Each time she had felt scared and helpless, unable to lift a finger to protect her loved ones. But each time she had at least been with other, been able to see the danger. Now, now she was alone and blinded. Now she was trapped didn't know what the danger was. And that was somehow so much worse.

She sat there trembling with cold and with fear.

…

"Alright let's head home!" Goku grinned at Piccolo and Gohan. "Grab hold I should be able to instant transmission us right there." He motioned for Piccolo to grab his shoulder as he placed his hand on Gohan's.

The big namekian heaved a sigh and placed a clawed hand where indicated. Gohan grinned up at him. Placing his two fingers to his forehead Goku began searching for Chi Chi's ki. _That's odd._ He thought. He couldn't find it. Sure Chi Chi didn't train anymore, but she still had some pretty substantial ki for a human. Especially if she was angry. And he had a feeling if she had any idea Gohan was out here and not in his room studying she was angry.

"Hm, well I can't seem to find your mom's ki at this distance so it's looks like we'll be flying there." He said to Gohan with a shrug. At this Piccolo removed his hand and looked at Goku questioningly.

_If the damned woman's ki wasn't strong enough to locate at a distance than why'd he bother trying. Doesn't the idiot know his own wife's ki? _Piccolo thought irritatedly. He didn't like physical contact unless it was in a battle.

Gohan just nodded and the three of them took off. _I hope mom isn't too angry I left._ Gohan thought. _Oh who am I kidding I'll be lucky if she doesn't bury me in textbooks the minute I step through the door. Maybe she'll be so happy dad's back she'll forget to be angry! _He shook his head at the absurdity of that thought. _Who am I kidding, she managed to stay mad even when dad came back from the dead. If there is one thing mom is good at it's being mad._

Goku's thoughts were back on the problem of the androids. _How to convince Chi Chi to let Gohan train?_ He pondered and then sighed. _I think defeating Freeza was easier than this is going to be._ If anything Chi Chi was scarier than Freeza when she was angry. That brought his thoughts back to the curious problem from earlier. _Why couldn't I find her ki? _He thought.

"Hey Goku." Piccolo called to him over the rushing wind. Goku turned and looked at him.

"Yeah Piccolo?"

"You seemed a bit lost in thought there. Not a look I'm used to seeing on you." The namekian smirked. "Thinking about how to get ready for these androids?" He asked.

"Yeah just working that out in the ole noggin." Goku laughed. No need to tell Piccolo he was mentally cowering from his own wife.

They continued flying for close another hour, occasionally discussing training tactics and bringing each other up to speed on their lives for the past year.

"Wow so Garlic Jr. came back? For real? I thought we dealt with him for good when he went to that dead zone place!" Goku exclaimed.

"Well apparently not, because he and his cronies made a real nuisance of themselves with that black water mist crap." Piccolo scowled.

"Yeah but we took care of them Dad." Gohan grinned. "Although, I don't think I've ever seen Mom that scary before in my life!" Goku frowned at this. They were only a few miles from the house. At this range he should be able to sense even Bulma's ki. But even after casting out his senses he still couldn't feel Chi Chi's. _Maybe she's at her father's place. _He reasoned. Mt. Fry Pan was far enough away that, if she wasn't angry or otherwise worked up, he might not be able to sense her. Assuming that her ki had somehow diminished in the past year. Which was the assumption he was working with as nothing else seemed to make sense. Also, if she had been visiting Ox King then she wouldn't have noticed Gohan leaving. Then she wouldn't be angry. _Oh that would be fantastic! _He thought with a grin.

"Speaking of your Mom Gohan, was she at granpa Ox King's when you left?" Goku asked.

"No." Gohan responded looking confused. "Actually she is probably going to be pretty mad when we get there. I kind of took off without asking permission." Gohan said sheepishly.

_Well there goes that theory._ Goku thought. Now things made even less sense. _If she was home and as mad as Gohan says she should be, then I should be able to sense her ki by now. Heck I should have been able to sense it back at the ship._ Goku thought with a frown.

"Huh well we'll just have to duck then won't we ha ha ha. Say Gohan she isn't sick or anything right now is she?" If Chi Chi was sick then maybe, that would explain why he couldn't sense her? But no if she was home then he would be able to sense her at this range. Hell he could sense the deer in the woods at this range.

"No, not that I've noticed. Why?" Gohan asked. At this point Piccolo was looking at Goku. His thoughts seemed to be going along the same track. The house started to come into view and the three of them began their descent. Gohan was already pushing his index fingers together and chewing his bottom lip. Clearly worried about what his mother would say, or scream, when she saw them.

Goku on the other hand was worried about something entirely different. _Something is not right._ He thought. All three touched down on the grass and Goku froze. He could smell blood. Chi Chi's blood.

"Gohan stay outside for a second with Piccolo will you?" Goku said looking at his son.

"Sure Dad." Gohan responded hesitantly.

Goku strode over to the front door. The smell wasn't strong, but combined with the fact that he couldn't sense Chi Chi anywhere. It didn't feel right. And the last thing he wanted was for Gohan to come home to something… Just something not right.

"Chi Chi…" Goku called as he gently pushed open the door. The scene that greeted him was something out of a disaster movie. Dishes were smashed, the chairs and table were in splinters, photos had been ripped off the wall and everything was piled up in the middle of the room. As if something had sucked it all together and smashed his home against itself. Goku moved to the pile of debris and began digging. Half hoping and half not hoping to find his wife at the center of this. He still couldn't sense her ki, but he could smell blood so if she was there then she was… But if she wasn't there then where was she!? Goku pushed aside the last of the fragments of wood, fabric and ceramic that had once been the furnishings of his home. No Chi Chi.

"Dad." A voice called from the door. Goku turned around to see Gohan and Piccolo framed there. "Where's mom?" Gohan asked in a small frightened voice.

"I… I don't know." Goku whispered.


	3. Chapter 3

_So hungry._ Chi Chi thought for what seemed like the hundredth time. How long had she been here? Long enough for her stomach to feel as if it were digesting itself. Her lips were cracked from dehydration and she didn't have the strength left to do more than lift a finger.

"Three minutes no air, three days no water, three weeks no food. One of these and there's no hope." She whispered the old advice. A doctor at Mt. Fry Pan had told her that as a girl. She was going into the wilderness to train. It was meant to scare her then. The old coot didn't think she could survive on her own out there. Didn't think a woman, especially a princess, should be a fighter. Chi Chi's mind wandered back to that time. _I can't even remember his face._ She thought. She remembered his voice though. It had been repeating itself in her head for a while now. _Three minutes no air, three days no water, three weeks no food. _Over and over and over again. Her index finger tapped along with the syllables. _Three _tap _min_ tap _utes_ tap _no _tap _air_ tap _three _tap _days_ tap _no _tap _wa _tap _ter _tap _three _tap _weeks_ tap _no _tap _food _tap. She stopped at the last tap. _Guess that's my answer. Between three days and three weeks._ She began to trace the number three on the floor now. First in kanji then in numerals. Three strokes, mid-length one on top, shorter one in the middle, longest on the bottom. Two crescents on top of each other. Wasn't there another number system?

"Numerals, Roman numerals." She whispered. Three vertical lines with a horizontal line on top and on bottom. Three ways to die, three ways to write the number three. Kanji for air, numerals for water and roman numerals for food. _I think the regular numeral three will kill me._ She thought. Three had been a good number before. There were three of them in their little family. Goku had competed in three of the World Tournaments. It was at the third one she reunited with him. Now she wasn't so sure she liked the number three anymore. Sure, four was usually associated with death, old superstitions just because of the way it sounded. But now it seemed like three was the more morbid number to Chi Chi. Three minutes, three days, three weeks. That's all it took. One, two, three, dead.

Suddenly a noise was coming from outside the door. Not once since she woke up in this room had Chi Chi heard a sound she didn't make herself. Now there was the sound of metal on metal and groaning hinges. Now a sliver of light was forming, and growing, now she could hear voices. Her tired, hungry brain tried to make sense of the words but she just couldn't make them out. It was as if they were speaking a different language, and speaking it far away, or perhaps underwater. _Water._ She thought. She needed water. Her finger started tracing out the kanji where she had been writing out her threes. Then there was foot next to her hand.

She was being lifted all of a sudden and thrown over a shoulder. She felt something hard dig into her stomach and felt the bile rise in her throat. She choked it back down but just barely. Then she felt the fabric of her shirt slip down and expose part of her back, the air was cold against her skin. Her head was facing down and she could see the backs of her carrier's legs as they moved. Her lose hair hung down in greasy mats and with every step her chin brushed against the rough fabric of this individual's shirt. She felt a stinging pain as something flaked off her chin. _A scab?_ She thought. She hazily recalled having fallen. She remembered the pain shooting up from her jaw into her head. At some point in her musings they had stopped moving. She heard what sounded like voices. One of them wasn't happy about something. It sounded like snapping she decided. Like an angry dog snapping and barking. Then they were moving again and she was being lowered onto a soft surface. There were voices again. Then footsteps. Now more footsteps, but lighter ones, and the sound of running water.

"Here drink human." It was the angry dog voice. Chi Chi felt herself being propped up and something being pressed to her lips. _Water!_ Her mind rejoiced. She tried to take a big gulp but could only get a mouthful. She whined her displeasure at this after swallowing. It had been so sweet, so wonderful, she just wanted more.

"Calm yourself. You have not consumed anything in four days. Too much now and your body will simply reject it." That didn't seem right. Three days, it was three days without water.

"Three days." She croaked.

"What was that?" The voice snapped.

"Human body can go three days without water, not four." It was important. She knew it was important. Three minutes no air, three days no water, three weeks no food. Those were the rules weren't they?

"Well then consider yourself lucky for it has most certainly been four days woman." At this the water was held to her lips again and she took a sip.

"Where…" Chi Chi began.

"Enough questions. Save your strength. I was told to keep you alive and I cannot do that if you waste your energy with foolish questions." The voice snapped. Then the cup was back again. This time Chi Chi tried to open her eyes instead of her mouth after her sip. Everything was blurry but she could make out something that looked like a person holding her up. They looked vaguely female from what she could see. Narrow shoulders, long neck, and a thin jaw. The female with the snapping voice continued to periodically hold the water to her lips and allow her to take small sips until Chi Chi had consumed around two cups. Then she lay her back down on the soft surface.

"Sleep now woman." Part of Chi Chi wanted to argue, to question, but the softness of what she was lying on and the exhaustion pervading her entire being pulled her down into sleep. _I wonder if the snapping voice has power too?_ She thought absently before finally succumbing.

…

When Chi Chi woke next it was to the unfamiliar sensation of needing to urinate. Groaning she tried to prop herself up on her elbows.

"What do you think you are doing human?" It was the snapping voice. Chi Chi blinked and turned towards it.

"Need to pee." She managed to croak as she attempted to rise and to focus on the figure coming towards her.

"Humph well it can't be helped I guess. Be patient and I will help you." Before Chi Chi could protest, or get a decent look at the voice's owner, they were at her side helping her stand. She felt a strong arm wrap around her waist as her own limp one was draped across a set of narrow shoulders. Now pressed up against her caretaker Chi Chi could confirm this individual was, in fact, female. She was steered across the room until the two stood in front of a door. A purple long nailed hand reached out and opened it and she was propped up against a wall inside.

"Can you handle this yourself or do you require assistance." The voice snapped again.

Finally Chi Chi managed to look up from her hunched position at the wall and get a good look at the owner of the voice. It was a female, but not human. She was purple for one, and had small horns protruding from her forehead. Between those two horns was a third eye with a snakelike pupil.

"Well." The purple female, something, snapped.

"I can handle it myself." Chi Chi ground out. Behind her was a stone bench with a hole in it carved into the back wall of the room. The purpose of the hole was fairly self-explanatory. There was a basin and a pitcher to her left for after.

"Call when you are finished." The snappy female said before turning and closing the door. After easing her way to the back bench and relieving herself Chi Chi leaned against the wall with her shoulders to adjust her clothing. Then she dragged herself over to the washbasin. Every step was a struggle, demanding her fullest attention. In some way though it was a relief in more ways than one. If she was focused on this task then her mind wasn't tearing itself to pieces.

She poured the water from the pitcher into the basin and wet her hands. Then she picked up the bar of soap, which had been sitting under the lip of the basin unseen earlier. She rubbed it between her wet palms, flipping it over and over again, watching the suds form. Then she began scrubbing her hands, wincing as she passed over the scraped up heels of her palms. The skin was still raw from when she had been dumped face first through that vortex. She remembered sticking her hands out slightly to prevent her head from taking the impact. Now that she thought about it, given how fast she had been going, it was a miracle her wrists weren't fractured.

"Are you done in there yet human?" Came a sharp call from the other side of the door.

"Just washing up." Chi Chi forced out the loudest response she could. Then she replaced the soap in its dish and began rinsing her hands in the basin. Once they were soap free she called out. "What do I do with the soapy water?"

"Toss it down the hole you fool." Came the reply.

Chi Chi grasped the basin in both hands and, leaning against the wall for extra support, made her way back to the bench. Three steps later she tipped the soapy water down the hole in the stone and waited to hear it splash. She had still been groggy earlier and hadn't paid much attention to how deep the hole was before. But as with her cell earlier, she now felt it was important to know every detail of her surroundings. She waited a full five seconds before she heard the faint sound of water hitting something. The hole was deep. Then with her relieved burden she made her way back to the door and replaced the basin on the table just in time for the door to open.

"Well come on, back to bed with you." At this the purple female once again put an arm around Chi Chi's waist and guided her to what Chi Chi realized was a bed. It was actually more of a cushioned ledge in the corner of the room. There was another, larger bed out in the center. Before Chi Chi could observe any more her purple, snappish caretaker was standing in front of her with a cup.

"Drink." She ordered. This time it was tea. Jasmine tea. Chi Chi sat and gratefully drank. The warmth of the tea coupled with her starvation born exhaustion began to pull on her conscious and she found her eyes slowly closing. As the world began to lose focus again her purple horned caretaker relieved her of the teacup. Chi Chi lowered herself onto her bed. Determined to do something for herself. Before she could completely drift off she looked up and spoke.

"What is your name?"

"Mai." Replied the female. _Funny. _Thought Chi Chi. _I'm pretty sure I've known another Mai I didn't care for._ Then she once again succumbed to sleep.

The next time Chi Chi woke up it was to Mai shaking her and lightly slapping her cheek.

"Up. Up. Food." She snapped. True to her word however Chi Chi could smell food. There, on a small table she hadn't previously noticed, was a steaming bowl of something. When Chi Chi sat up Mai shoved the bowl into her hands and commanded "Drink." When Chi Chi looked down she could see the bowl was filled with broth of some kind. She paused briefly before lifting the bowl and taking a sip. If they wanted her dead they would have just left her in that cell. Chi Chi forced herself to take slow measured gulps. Her stomach was crying out for her to just down the whole thing in one go, but she knew how that would end. Mai had been right earlier, if she attempted to go too quickly she would just end up vomiting it back up.

After a few more mouthfuls she looked up at her caretaker again. Mai was standing there arms crossed and mouth pursed. She was clearly not pleased to be dealing with Chi Chi. So that begged the obvious question of why was she?

"Why are you helping me?" Chi Chi asked.

"Hmph." Mai tossed her head "Because I was ordered to." Was her simple reply.

"But why?" Chi Chi pressed. "And by whom?"

"You ask too many questions human. My master wishes to question you. I was ordered to make you ready to be questioned. It is not my fault those fools forgot you in the cell and made you useless." Chi Chi's eyes grew wide and her grip on the broth bowl almost failed. _I almost starved to death because they forgot me?_ She thought with horror.

"Drink." Mai snapped once again. But Chi Chi's limbs wouldn't work. It was as if her brain refused to send the signals to her arms to move. It was entirely focused on processing what she had just heard. She had almost died because she had just slipped someone's mind. **Snap.** Mai's fingers just millimeters from her eye brought her back.

"Drink." She ordered again. This time Chi Chi obeyed. As she downed the broth her mind started working again. If she had been forgotten then what had caused them to remember her?

"What does your master want?" She asked Mai.

"That is not for you to know human." She replied and took the now empty bowl from Chi Chi. "Sleep. When you wake you shall clean up and be taken." She pushed Chi Chi down to the bed by her shoulder. For the third time Chi Chi felt sleep wrap her in its embrace. This time she noticed something off.

She woke for what would be the final time in Mai's room naturally. She looked around and saw a large tub that had not been there before. Steam was rising steadily from it.

"You're up. Good." A voice sounded to her left. She turned and there was Mai coming through a door Chi Chi had previously not noticed. She closed it behind her and strode over to Chi Chi's little wall niche of a bed. "Clothes off." Mai snapped while placing a bundle of some sort next to Chi Chi.

"Wh-what?" Chi Chi stammered gripping the sleeves of her qi pao.

"You smell, you will wash and change. Now clothes off or do you require me to undress you like an infant human?" said Mai.

"N-no!" Chi Chi managed to choke out. She had grown modest over the years and was not used to anyone other than her husband and her doctor seeing her in any sort of state of undress.

"Well then clothes off!" Mai said in an increasingly irritated voice as she reached for the brocades above Chi Chi's left breast. The moment those long purple fingers made contact Chi Chi snapped back.

"I can do it myself." She cried out. Mai was clearly not taking no for an answer here. "Just. Just turn around." Chi Chi stammered.

"I don't much care one way or the other about the human form woman so if it is modesty that concerns you don't be bothered." At this Mai's hand snapped forward and grabbed the front of Chi Chi's top. She made quick work of the brocades and then pulled the top along with the long sleeved undershirt up over her head. Chi Chi was left sputtering in her skirt, boots and underclothes.

"I said I can do it myself!" She screamed slapping away the hands that were reaching for her skirt.

"Then do so." Was Mai's simple reply.

Chi Chi then stood and walked over to the tub. She slipped off first her right then left boots. Then hooked her thumbs into the waistband of her skirt and shimmied it off. She would be damned if some purple, horned, DEVIL stripped and bathed her. She had a sense of dignity and it was not being entirely taken from her. She was left in her under garments and glanced behind her. Mai was standing there and waved her on.

"Well continue." She said.

Chi Chi removed the last of her clothing and, keeping her back to the shedevil slipped into the water.


	4. Chapter 4

Smack. Goku felt the impact of Piccolo's fist to his cheekbone. It was one of a growing list of injuries he had acquired that day.

"This is pointless. Satisfying for me, but pointless." Piccolo spoke.

"Huh?" Goku looked at him questioningly.

"As much fun as it is to beat on you Goku we aren't accomplishing anything." Piccolo said crossing his arms. "Even if you were sitting on your hands the whole time on Yardrat it should not be this easy to land a hit on the guy who defeated Freeza."

Goku looked away. He had a point. For the first time since he was a kid his head wasn't completely focused while training. Goku looked down to ground below. Gohan was there supposedly practicing his form. But every shadow hit he performed similarly lacked focus. Neither of the Son men had been able to concentrate since coming home four days ago.

"Still no word from the old man huh?" Piccolo's voice snapped Goku back to reality.

"No. Nothing." Goku responded despondently. After doing his best to scan the whole planet for his wife's ki Goku had transmitted to Kami's lookout. Once Kami and Mr. Popo had recovered from the initial shock of Goku's materialization he had explained the situation to them.

"_I'm sorry Goku but I haven't seen anything out of the ordinary on earth today." Kami had seemed truly sorry as he said this. "And you say you cannot sense her ki anywhere on earth?"_

"_No. No where!" Goku replied. _

_Kami and Mr. Popo exchanged a look then and shifted uncomfortably._

"_Goku, how long were you away from earth after leaving for Namek?" Mr. Popo asked._

"_About a year. Why?" Goku had responded._

"_And before that, you were here on earth for just a few weeks after being dead for a year correct?" Kami asked._

"_Well yes. But what does that have to do with anything?" Goku had replied impatiently._

"_It's just that, well is it possible, given the limited time you have been around Chi Chi's ki in the past two years that it may not be as familiar as you remember it?" Mr. Popo looked like he was trying to put that as delicately as possible. Refusing to fully meet Goku's eyes the whole time. _

"_I, well, I suppose…" Goku had been at a loss there. He supposed it was possible. But then he shook himself. "No! I recognized Bulma's ki even after all this time! And she's not even a fighter. Besides. Chi Chi is my, is my wife! We lived together in that house for over four years. Before that we fought in the tournament. I know her ki. If Chi Chi was on earth then I would know!" Goku had exclaimed._

"_Ok. Ok. Goku I trust you. If you say Chi Chi is not on earth then she is not on earth." Kami had said in a placating voice. Though he still seemed slightly unconvinced. "All the same I shall do a 'scan' of my own." Then the old namekian had closed his eyes and searched the planet himself. _

"_That IS odd." Kami mumbled. "I cannot sense her anywhere. There is not even a trace." He said with a puzzled look._

"_Then, is she…" Goku had felt a tightening in his chest. His eyes had stung and his breath was getting harder to come by._

"_No, no, when a person dies on earth some of their ki is left. Traces of where they had been. Who they had been are left. Chi Chi is just gone. It's as if all that she was, sorry is, has left this plane." Kami explained. "All the same, I think it best I check in with King Yemma on this matter." At that Kami had disappeared leaving a less than comforted Goku alone with Mr. Popo. _

After an agonizing wait on the look out Kami had returned with the news that Chi Chi had not passed through earth's check in station and that he would be looking into this matter quite thoroughly.

Goku had returned home to the unpleasant task of informing his son that, while she was not dead, he had no idea where the boy's mother was. Four days had gone by thus far waiting for any word from Kami. They had decided the best course of action was to begin training for the androids. There was nothing they could do until they knew where Chi Chi was, or at least how she had disappeared.

"Go talk to him." Once again Piccolo pulled Goku out of his thoughts jerking his chin down to Gohan. "If you're unfocused then that kid down there is drifting in the clouds." He said with a grunt.

"You sure?" Goku said.

"Go. Like I said earlier. As much fun as it is pounding on you, training is pointless if your heart isn't in it." With that Piccolo started to turn away. "I'll come back in a day. We can get back to this when you two are ready." And with that he took off.

Goku looked down to see Gohan staring up at him questioningly. Goku flew down and joined his son on the grassy hill bellow.

"Where's Mr. Piccolo going?" Gohan asked.

"We're taking a day. You and I seem to need it." Goku said with a halfhearted chuckle. At that Gohan looked to the side and tilted his face down.

"Yeah, take a day." Gohan mumbled.

"Hey there Gohan, you ok?" Goku said. It sounded stupid as he heard himself speak. What six year old would be ok right now?

"Yeah dad. I'm ok. Don't worry." Gohan kept his head tilted down and away. Goku saw his fists clenching tightly at his sides.

"Hey, Kami will figure this out buddy. We'll get your mom back in no time ok?" Goku bent down and put his hand on his son's shoulder and did his best to smile. Faking had never been Goku's strong point. Even as a kid he was bad at deception outside of fight tactics. Right now all he wanted was to scream, and panic and search until he had some answers. But he had Gohan to think about. Slowly Gohan looked up and met his gaze. The kid smiled the kind of smile that stops at the mouth. His eyes were empty. Blank and staring.

"Yeah dad you're right. I'm just being a silly kid ha ha ha ha." As Gohan laughed tears started leaking from his eyes and his laughter turned to sobs. Goku knelt on the grass and pulled his son towards him. They stayed like that for a while, Gohan hands clenched at his sides sobbing into his father's shoulder with Goku on his knees arms wrapped around his son.


End file.
